The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-25
A Tar Heel HumOriSt.

One Of the most original and practical
speeches delivered during the recent
session Of the Farmers Inter State Con-
vrntion in Atlanta, says the Atlanta
Constitution, was an off hand address by
Mr.. Reid Parker, of North Carolina.
He said:
MIR. Chairman, and Gentlemen of the
Convention I hold that the people in
the main do the best they know how for
themselves. When We see man buy
fertilizers we conclude that he knows no
better. [Applause.l And if we find that
q poor farmer has gone to town and
mor.gagcd his mule and himself for a
spurious article Of commercial fertilizers,
we conclude ut once that he thinks il is
best for him. He does not know any
better. [Applause.l Ii we See man that
plants all cotton, and is plowing fonr
mules. and with poor harness, and with
sore shoudered mules, and with dull
implements. and poor land, We know at
a glance that that man does not know
any better. [Rexewed applause.l 1t is
the best he can do for hiu>elf. II a man
in the morning after having taken too
many drains the night before. wakes up
with headache and kind of crawling
about the intestines here Qayiug hand
on stomach) [laughterl with an Increased
thirst and clammy kind OF Il tongue and
Il tottering. nervous condition, the best
thing he thinks he can do for himself is
to have something to steady his nerves.
He does not know any better. lap
plause.l
The only hope Of salvation Of the COM
mon farmer, not your farmers who rep
resent the common farmer, the only
hope OF salvation of the common farmer
of these ten States is for them to find
out what is best for them. How are
they going to do it? Not by this con-
yenriOn meeting here, and considering
cooperation, coordination, stitiliZatiol,
civilization, concatenation, eXortation,
eradication, starvation and damnation.
[Great laughter and applausel. We must
20 to work and teach. That is the only
salvation. How is it to b. done? There
are farmers in North Carolina who let
their lights shine out. 1t does not Just
ONLY shine in his own house, but out the
door, and way down the road. and a
man passing along can see it as light
set upon uili.
You will pardon me just little. l
wont worry your patience. | have been
at work in a certain direction for the
last fourteen years, and finally We got a
club together; we sot to reading; we got
the best books and subscribed for the
best papers. We have reading room
and circulating library, and they take
a paper published in this city that is 4
credit to the South, and to the world, the
CuHirator. We take that as standard,
and we read what Dr.. Jones, OF Georgia,
says on grass, stock, and all these fertlll-
zerS, and We understand 1t as we'll as
any chemist in the country. Whenever
YOU 90 bv one of those mems houses,
YOU can tell it as quick as you can when
in train you dash from tunnel Into
daylight. You can see it. What Is all
the practical good III all these resolu-
tions, all this tariff question and all this
political discussion? You wantto get to
the individual farmers, net ycf farmers,
Tor you are the leading farmers. Your
governors selected you because you are
above those around you-but the Elten-
tion of this convention is for you to 90
home, fire up, and let your light shine
out still brighter and better and help
the common farmer. [Applause.l He is
the mail of this whole country. / know
whole couuties-I don't know whether
you have got them in Georgia or not
where they have not got hog that Is
worth the name of q hog.
Twill tell little story about Il hog
killing time that l heard Of in Georgia
once. 1t was on bright, frosty morn
lug, along about the first OF January on
very convivial OCCASION, and they in
vited in their neighbors TO help at the
hog-killing, and the women came in TO
assist and be clever. and fire was built
up with pine knots, and it was blazing
away, and they came in jovial and Jolly
to have a day Of rejoicing. They cleared
the hogs and hung 'em up, and they re-
ioiced. Breakfast was little late and
they took more rejo;cementS. lLaughterl
They felt convivial and kind Of hungry,
and they commenced broiling some
pieces of liver, and they were standing
around in this Joyous condition when
CONSERVATION and alarm fell upon the
entire community-one of the hogs was
missing! How could it come to pass
right there? How could one OF those
hogs be taken away? And they insti-
tuted an immediate search, ana they
found that a cat had dragged one OF those
hogs away. Loud and prolonged cheer
ing.l No wonder you men are spending
millions of dollars for your meat when
we have such hogs as that.
have little remedy to otter-lt Is
to reach the common farmer. lie does
not take these papers. He does not read
anything. His home is sad and dreary
and lonely. have been there. have
stayed all night there. ! have drank
coffee that was so. weak it could not
stand itself up in the cup. Laughter
Their homes are sad. There are no
flowers there, no geranums there. The
girls are skimpy-headed and ugly, The
boys are ugly; the old woman was cross;
the old man had sore tooth, and all
was sad and lonely. Now, cannot some
hope and help shine out from the dark
cloud into these places. You have them
everywhere, thousands of them. Now
if we can reach this man, stir him up,
open his eyes, get him to thinking, read
ing and talking with men and among
men, it will wake that man up. How
are you going to do i?S The only way
is to hold agricultural and farming insti-
tutions in every State in the South, and
pick out your best home talent, and get
these scientific men from your agricnl-
tural departments, and 90 ont there and
spend three or four days teaching, Just
like the teacher teaches i'll the Southern
schools.
We had an institute over in Randolph
last week. There is man upon this
floor now that read a paper there that
thrilled them through. 1t was worth
tons upon tons, and it stirred them up.
I insist that every county in these South
ern States ought to have an institution
like that. The States ought to help.
In North Carolina it does not cost one
copper. Ii the States and agricultural
departments will help, you will see them
bloom and blossom like i rose all over
the land" FGreat applause.l
The Eves Failure.
NEW York. Auouot 20.-Thc state